What does it sound like?:

Let me start by saying my John McLaughlin knowledge is pretty limited – Inner Mounting Flame, Birds Of Fire and the one he did with Santana, Love, Devotion, Surrender. So I came to this collaboration not knowing too much about it or its participants – for the record they are John Surman (sax), Karl Berger (vibraphone), Stu Martin (drums) and Dave Holland (bass).

Recorded in New York in 1970 and originally released in 1971, this album has now been given the usual remastering treatment, although there are no bonus tracks. As to the important bit, the music itself, it’s hard to get a handle on it. There’s no doubting the talent and technique of the five players, but it’s quite a challenging listen. It’s not really rock or even fusion really – I suppose you could call it free form jazz. I’m hoping Colin H will perhaps put me right on this! The individuals do contribute fairly equally here, so it is a genuine collaborative effort (I think when it was first released McLaughlin was given star billing), although all the compositions are written by either McLaughlin, whose impeccable chops are on display throughout, » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Let’s cut to the chase, if you don’t like banjos, bluegrass or Steve Martin’s form of absurdist comedy with a twinge of melancholy you probably won’t like this. For those who do, or who are more open-minded, there’s much to enjoy in this lucky bag of joyful noise.

The unifying theme is the accomplished musicianship which is never less than gloriously cinematic and compelling, bursting from the speakers and so pick-you-up-and-make-you-move-your-feet infectious that even on the first listen these songs catch and stick in your musical memory where others might leave only faint traces, needing multiple listens to settle and find a home.

A mix of pacy instrumentals, sorrowful ruminations and comedy “The Long-Awaited Album” has lots to offer. The single ‘Caroline’ provides a joyful romp through a very 21st century breakup while ‘All Night Long’ and ‘Bad Night’ offer beautiful and melodic ruminations on separation and writer’s angst. If that all sounds a bit downbeat it isn’t. These musicians weald their instruments with skill and precision and the music is joyful and positive whatever the lyrics might have you think. Instrumentals like ‘Angeline the Barista’ and ‘Office Supplies’ crack on like a speeding » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

As we seem to be in a psychedelic mood, spare a thought for Bodast. One of the many bands that no doubt thought they were on the golden road to success when they got a recording contract, their career quickly petered out, with only Steve Howe going on to subsequent fame with Yes.

The only album they made was released in 1969, by which time they’d ironically already split, and is reissued now in remastered form, along with a few bonus tracks recorded as their previous incarnation Canto. So what of the music? Well, the title probably gives a clue as to what to expect. Yes fans will recognise Nether Street, by far the best thing here, as an early version of The Wurm section of the Yes classic Starship Trooper, proving that good material rarely goes to waste. By the same token, part of the rocky Black Leather Gloves was recycled years later in Close To The Edge. The rest of the album is a mixture of early prog and psychedelia, with a bit of folk thrown into the mix for good measure. Although there are a few tracks that don’t really go » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

1967 wasn’t a great year for The Rolling Stones. It started well enough with the January release of Between The Buttons and a satisfyingly controversial appearance performing the related single on The Ed Sullivan Show, even though the chorus had to be changed to Let’s Spend Some Time Together. A week later, they topped the bill on Sunday Night At The London Palladium, adding to their carefully choreographed notoriety by refusing to participate in the traditional farewell wave from a revolving podium. Instead, they stood at the side and waved with obvious sarcasm and disrespect. The Rolling Stones were firmly at the centre of attention and all set for a third successive bumper year.

However, on February 12th, after a tip off, the police raided Keith Richards’s mansion in Redlands Road, West Wittering. West Sussex police didn’t have a drug squad at the time. Chief Inspector Gordon Dineley led his eighteen strong party, dressed in full regalia complete with white braiding. They interviewed eight men and one woman and found various substances and tablets they sent for laboratory examination. The woman was Marianne Faithful who wore nothing but a fur bed cover. On the » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Janis Ian is one of the all too many artists I’ve rather lost touch with over the passing of the years. During her 1970’s heyday, with albums such as Stars, Between The Lines and Night Rains, her wistful voice often graced my turntable late of an evening in a fug of wine and cigarette smoke. As time moved on however, she rather dropped off my radar. The next time I recall hearing her was almost thirty years later, when I became aware of her 2006 album, Folk Is The New Black, which signalled both a return to the spotlight and something of a return to form. This two cd set is the first compilation to takes its material from all her various labels, from her 1967 Verve debut, through the better known Columbia years and on to to her own Rude Girl label. I still think though that the best days for this singer songwriter came with her 1970’s material, with perennials like Stars and the evergreen At Seventeen. I don’t think the later material reaches the same high standards, pleasant listening though it is, or maybe my own tastes have changed over the » Continue Reading.